Ladder rung, grab iron, and the like



July 23, 1940.

C. M. HANNAFORD LADDER RUNG, GRAB IRON, AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 10, 1958 Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STATES LADDER RUNG, GRAB IRON, AND THE LIKE Cleon M. Hannaford, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Unitcast Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 10, 1938, Serial No. 224,157

I 3 Claims.

My invention relates to ladder rungs, grab irons, hand holds and the like which are especially suitable for use on railroad cars and the principal object of the invention is to provide such articles with roughened areas respectively adapted to offer resistance tothe slippage of a foot transversely thereof and to the slippage of a hand longitudinally thereof.

Many fatal accidents have resulted in railroad service by reason of trainmen or other railroad employees losing their footing on ladders of freight cars or their grasp on grab irons or hand holds. Such accidents frequently occur when these various articles .are wet or covered with ice since, under such conditions, it is, extremely difficult to obtain either a secure grasp or footing on them. One of the principal factors contributing to a trainman falling from a railroad car ladder, outside of sheer negligence, is caused by his foot slipping transversely of the rungs or his hand slipping longitudinally thereof, particularly when the car is in motion, and it is to reduce these hazards that the present invention has been devised.

A primary feature of the invention consists in providing the main body portion of a ladder rung, grab ironv or a hand hold with a plurality of peripherally spaced series of offset portions, the offset portions of each series being spaced from each other longitudinally of the body portion and one of said series being so located as to offer resistance to the slippageof a foot transversely thereof and another of said series being so located as to offer resistance to the slippage of a hand longitudinally thereof.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a ladder rung, grab iron or hand hold with a main body portion of rod-like form, the

upper surface of the body portion being integrally provided with a plurality of offset portions which are spaced from each other in the direction of length of said body for offering resistance to the slippage of a foot transversely thereof and the lower surface of said body portion being integrally provided with a plurality of oiTset portions which are also spaced from each other in the direction of length of said body for offering resistance to the slippage of a hand longitudinally thereof.

Other and more specific features of the invention, residing in advantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the end railway car provided with ladders having rungs embodying the invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of one of the ladder rungs.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-,3 of Figure 2. i

Figure 4 is a side elevational View of a grab iron embodying the invention.

Although the invention is illustrated in the drawing as being applied to a particular .type of ladder and a particular type of a grab iron, it will, of course, be appreciated that it is not limited in its application to these types of structures alone, but is capable of general application to-alltypes of metal ladder rungs, grab irons, hand holds and the like which have a main body portion of generally rod-like form.

The type of ladder illustrated in the drawing is of well known construction having angle shapedstiles I provided with a plurality of open: ingsfor receiving the offset ends of'the rungs 2'. A ladder of this general construction is. shown in detail in the William E. Wine Patent No. 1,786,379dated December 23, 1930.

The main body portion 3 of each ladder rung, which'is of rod-like form and preferably of substantially. circular shape incross section, is formed witha plurality of series of offset portions, ribs, protuberances or the like so as to provide at least two roughened. areas, one of which is adapted to offer resistance to the slippage of a foot transversely of the body portion. and the other of which is adapted to offer resistance to the slippage of a hand longitudinally of the body portion.

The roughened area for preventing slippage of a foot transversely of the body portion is formed on the upper surface of the latter and preferably consists of two series of offset portions 4 which are advantageously disposed on opposite sides of a vertical plane passing through the axis of the body portion. The oifset portions'4 of each of the series are elongated in the direction of length of the body portion and are disposed in spaced relation to each other. Moreover, the offset portions 4 of one series are staggered with respect to the offset portions 4 of the other series, the ends of the portions in one series extending slightly beyond the adjacent ends of the portions in the other series. By arranging the two series of offset portions in the manner described, rain, snow, mud or other material which might either fall upon or be deposited on the upper surface of the body portion will not be retained thereon by the offset portions but, on the contrary, will be enabled to drain ordischarge therefrom as readily as if the upper surface were free of offset portions or projections of any character.

The roughened area for preventing slippage of a hand longitudinally of the body portion is preferably located on the lower or under surface of the latter and it may be advantageously formed by a series of ofi'set portions 5 which are spaced in the direction of the length of the body portion but which may conveniently extend transversely thereof. The offset portions 5 may be spaced from each other an amount approximately corresponding to the diameter of a mans finger and they are preferably located opposite the points where the offset portions 4 of one series overlap the offset portions 4 of the other series, since it is at these points that the cross sectional area of the body portion is smallest.

It will be perceived that all of the ofiset portions, in addition to efficiently functioning for their intended purposes, are of such shape and design that they may be formed by rolling and it is with this thought in mind that the body portion is provided intermediate its upper and lower surfaces with longitudinally extending laterally projecting ribs 6, commonly referred to in the art as parting ribs. These ribs, as well as'the offset portions 4, will, of course, offer resistance to the rotation of a hand grasping the body portion and the offset portions 4 will also aid in preventing slippage of a hand longitudinally of the body portion.

The grab iron 7 illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawing is shown as being provided with offset portions 3 and 9 respectively corresponding to the ofiset portions 4 and 5 with which the rungs of the ladder shown in the other figures of the drawing are provided.

While I have shown and described offset portions of particular shapes and configurations, offset portions of other shapes and configurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A metal ladder rung, grab iron or the like having a main body portion of generally circular shape in cross section integrally provided with a plurality of series of offset portions, each series of offset portions being laterally spaced from the other about the periphery of said body portion and the offset portions of each series being spaced from each other in the direction of length of said body portion, the offset portions of at least two of said series being elongated longitudinally of the body portion and being so located thereon as to offer resistance to slippage of a foot transversely thereof and the offset portions of another of said series being so located on said body portion as to offer resistance to slippage of a hand longitudinally thereof.

2. A metal ladder rung, grab iron or the like having a main body portion of rod-like form, the upperand lower surfaces of said body portion being each provided with a plurality of elongated offset portions spaced from each other in the direction of length of the body portion, the offset portions on said upper surface being elongated in a direction longitudinally of the axis of said body portion and affording a roughened tread area adapted to offer resistance to the slippage of a foot transversely thereof and the offset portions on said lower surface being elongated in a direction transversely of said axis and affording a roughened area adapted to offer resistance to the slippage of a hand longitudinally of the body portion.

3. A metal ladder rung, grab iron or the like having a body portion of approximately circular cross section integrally provided with longitudinally extending projecting ribs disposed on opposite sides thereof and with a plurality of series of offset portions arranged between said ribs, each of said series of offset portions being laterally spaced from the other peripherally of said body portion, and the offset portions of each series being elongated longitudinally of the body portion and being spaced from each other in the direction of length of the body portion, said body portion being also integrally provided with an additional series of offset portions located on the opposite side of the body portion from the said series of elongated offset portions.

CLEON M. I-IANNAFORD. 

